


What's In That Shed?

by NimueOfTheNorth



Series: Fluff Bingo 2019 [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Harmless Secrets, M/M, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-31 19:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21246131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimueOfTheNorth/pseuds/NimueOfTheNorth
Summary: It occurs to Spencer that Aaron must be hiding something in their shed.Aaron comes home to find out he's out of time to break it to Spencer carefully.Jack's delighted.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid
Series: Fluff Bingo 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414150
Comments: 2
Kudos: 221
Collections: Just Write! Fluff Bingo





	What's In That Shed?

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written as part of the Just Write Discord Server's Fluff Bingo 2019, in answer to the prompt "Puppies".

Aaron was keeping secrets, and it was worrying Spencer. Not the _my boyfriend is cheating on me_ kind of worry, but worrying all the same.

Cheating was the furthest from Spencer’s mind in all of this because A) it would be entirely out of character for Aaron Hotchner to cheat, B) he was even less likely to do so after what he went through with Haley, and C) all the secrecy and sneaking away focused on the shed in the garden, which was about the least suitable location for an affair one could think off. But that left Spencer out of obvious explanations for Aaron’s recently odd behaviour.

He kept contemplating just going into the shed and seeing what was in there. Aaron had in no way forbidden him from entering. Still, it had become Aaron's territory, and Spencer felt like he'd be invading his personal space.

They had moved into the house at the beginning of the last winter, so it hadn't been until spring that Spencer learned with some surprise how much Aaron actually enjoyed working in the garden. He had left his lover to it as the only thing he cared about was that the garden offered him a comfortable space in the shade to read. Aaron's layout had provided him with three, so he could pick how much sun or wind he wanted at different times of the day.

They were now nearing the end of their three-week summer leave, and around various projects around the house that they hadn't found the time for before, Spencer had made good use of all his reading spots while Aaron puttered around the garden. Jack hadn't minded staying home this year and had helped with painting, planting, building shelves, and unboxing the rest of their things. Aaron and Spencer had made sure to mix in enough days of fun activities and trips. He'd also been on a one-week vacation to the beach with Jessica and all the Brooks cousins while the team had still been at work. It should have been a perfectly ordinary summer for people who had recently merged households.

Then, Aaron’s odd behaviour had started only a few days after their leave began.

He had started his day with his customary run and had woken Spencer up just slightly later than usual with a cup of coffee and a kiss. But then he'd gone out to the shed multiple times throughout the day claiming one reason or the other. This had continued ever since, even on days when he wasn't doing anything in the garden. Even on the one day of torrential rains they'd had.

The more Spencer thought about it, the clearer it became that Aaron’s trips to the shed were sticking as close to a schedule as he could without obviously being on a schedule. If his secret required regular tending, there was no way he could keep that up when they went back to work next week.

Spencer closed his book with a decisive slap and stared at the door of the shed like it would disintegrate and reveal all the answers he desired.

He still hadn’t made up his mind about the right course of action when Jack dropped down at the foot end of his lounger and held out a cold bottle of water to him.

“What’s the shed done to you, Spencer? You’re staring at it like dad stared at that woman at the beach last week that wouldn’t stop flirting with you.”

“It’s hiding your father’s secret.” He untwisted the cap of the bottle with more force than necessary and took a sip without taking his eyes from the offending shed.

“What secret?”

"I don't know, or it wouldn't be a secret anymore. But your dad is spending more time than is plausible in there, and the reasons he's giving us don't make any sense either."

Jack turned to stare at the shed as well, but his head was leaning to the side slightly like he was contemplating something. "I thought I heard a weird noise coming from the shed the other day, but I thought I must have imagined it because it sounded like something living and there's nothing living in our shed. Do you think that could have to do with Dad's secret?"

“Possibly. Let’s find out!” Spencer set his water down and stood up, taking the few steps to the backdoor of the house where the keys to the shed hang from a hook. Aaron had never stopped placing them there whenever he wasn’t in the shed, probably because that would have been a sure way to raise Spencer’s suspicion. He snatched the keys up and crossed the garden, determined to get to the bottom of this before Aaron returned from the stores.

"Won't Dad get mad at us for spying?" Jack asked, worriedly.

"It's not technically spying if we go into our family's garden shed. And if he's going to be mad, it'll be only at me, and I have my ways to apologise."

“How… nevermind. I don’t want to hear about adult stuff between you two.” Jack pulled a face.

“Clever boy,” Spencer said as he fiddled with the padlock on the door. Now that he was this close, he could definitely hear noises coming from the inside, Jack was right about that.

He had no idea what he had expected to find, but it sure wasn’t what greeted him on the inside. “Oh my…”

Jack could only say, “Wow!”

* * *

Aaron returned with bags full of groceries to find the house quiet and apparently empty, which wasn’t all that surprising given the beautiful summer weather. As he stored all the perishables in the fridge, he glanced out the back window and found the garden empty as well, which was a good deal more worrisome.

His eyes flew to the hook beside the backdoor, where there were currently no keys.

A feeling of dread spread through Aaron. He'd been torn up inside how to tell Spencer as keeping secrets was a little too close to lying for Aaron's comfort. But the worry about Spencer's reaction had always held him back. Jack's reaction, on the other hand, was a foregone conclusion, just not one that would necessarily uncomplicate the situation.

He took a deep breath. There was nothing to it—he had to face the music.

Aaron carefully pulled the door to the shed open and stopped in his tracks. The picture in front of him was not what he had expected or feared.

“Dad! When did you get puppies? And how? And why are you hiding them here?”

"Yes, Aaron. Why were you hiding puppies in the shed?" Spencer asked with a stern tone that was spoiled by the content smile on his face as he scratched one of the little fluffballs in his lap while another took a tumble over his outstretched legs.

“You’re not mad about the puppies?” Aaron asked carefully as he crouched down to pick up the one that had headed straight towards him as every time he entered.

“We love the puppies!” Jack proclaimed excitedly before toppling over giggling with the fourth dog in his arms.

"I'm not mad about the puppies," Spencer confirmed. "But I'm a little confused why you'd feel the need to hide them." There was some hurt in his voice, and Aaron hated himself for putting it there.

He settled on the floor and focused on the small dog curled against his stomach. "I found the four during my morning run in a plastic back on the side of the road. Humans clearly hadn't been kind to them, but when I ripped open the bag, they were all over me in an instant. I think it was that trust that made me fall in love with them.

“I knew Jack would be more than happy to have a dog in the house, but we had never talked about the possibility of pets at all. I knew how difficult caring for them would be with our jobs, but I couldn’t let them go. So I made them a comfortable space in here and hoped I’d figure out a good way to tell you. But that never happened.”

“Did you take them to the vet at least?”

“Yeah. Remember that afternoon I encouraged you and Jack to go to the bookstore without me? I knew that would keep you occupied long enough. They’re doing fine and are on track for all the regular puppy care. I even already made an appointment to get them fixed.”

“Aaron Hotchner, ever the planner.” Aaron looked up, unable to interpret Spencer’s tone, but his face didn’t help him either. “Do you plan on keeping them all?”

"No. I was hoping we could keep one or two. They're a mix of different breeds, and the vet's best guess was that there's labrador and at least one other larger breed in there. For that reason alone, keeping all four isn't realistic."

“But how can we choose who to keep?” Jack asked. “Have you given them names, yet?”

“Yes, I… well, this is Q, the one you have is James, and Spencer has been claimed by M and Moneypenny. As to how we will choose, I think they’ll tell us who wants to stay or will be happy to go with people coming to pick one up.”

“You and your love for spy stories,” Spencer said with a fond smile. “I have a feeling that Q already has called dibs on a place in our family.”

"So… you're really not mad, and you'd be okay with keeping them?" Aaron asked, tentatively.

“I’m not mad about the puppies, Aaron, trust me. And yes, we can keep one or maybe two if Jessica is okay with looking after them and they continue to get along well. But we will have a conversation later about you hiding stuff from me.”

Aaron just nodded his acceptance. That's why he hated keeping secrets in the first place, and he'd take whatever tongue lashing Spencer would bestow upon him. He knew he'd earned it.

“Yay, we’re getting two dogs! This is the best day ever!” Jack rejoiced and held little James up in the air who joined in Jack’s laughter with puppy barks.

* * *

Later that evening, after they had finally managed to get Jack into bed, with James rolled up at his feet, Spencer plucked a snoring Q up from Aaron's lap, so he could cuddle into Aaron's arms. He then settled the puppy on his own lap and stretched out his legs, careful not jostle the small dog bed M and Moneypenny were curled up in.

“I know we hadn’t talked about pets,” Spencer eventually broke the silence. “But I still don’t understand why you felt you couldn’t tell me. I mean, the dogs couldn’t have stayed a secret forever, and what would you have done if I had been opposed to keeping them?”

Aaron let out a long sigh. “I don’t have a good explanation. Getting a dog was always a theoretical possibility, something that Jack wanted and I might make a reality at some point. And then I suddenly had my arms full of these four and felt like I couldn’t part with them. Can I claim puppy cuteness influencing my brain to justify the childish hope that a solution would just magically present itself?”

Spencer snorted. "Don't get used to it, but it's difficult to argue against something that essentially happened. I learned something about myself in all this. I really don't like my romantic partner keeping secrets from me."

“I’m sorry.” Aaron pressed a kiss against Spencer’s temple. “My only excuse is that I never intended on keeping secrets from you and then it just somehow happened. I’ve gotten pretty good at anticipating your reactions to things, and that I had no idea how you felt about a pet in the house threw me for a loop.”

“Let’s just agree that we’re better off talking to one another about anything and everything and not let something like this happen again.”

“Yeah, I can get behind that.”

They fell quiet for a while, just being close and occasionally running a hand over the sleeping Q.

“Any idea yet who might want to take Moneypenny and M?” Spencer asked eventually.

“There are a few parents on Jack’s soccer team who have been talking about possibly getting a dog, so I thought I’d start there. I mean, I’ve even gotten them housebroken already.”

“However you managed that in the shed, but if anyone could, of course it would be you.”

“What makes you think M and Moneypenny will be the one to leave us?”

"Please. I might not have a degree in animal behaviour, but it's blatantly obvious that Q has claimed you and James fell in love with Jack and vice versa. The only thing that could rattle that decision is them not getting along as they get older."

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Yes. You better thank Derek and Clooney for breaking me in on the dog front.”

“I’ll be sure to do that first thing on Monday. I love you, and thank you for putting up with my occasional bullshit.”

“I love you too, and I’m sure you’ll find ways to show me your gratitude. Ways that, by the way, we’ve been explicitly asked to keep secret from your son.”

“What? No. I don’t want to know how that came up. Let’s just go to bed so I can work on showing my gratitude.”

THE END


End file.
